Technologic Attraction
by thecoleaderofgroupb
Summary: AU Roxy is a Law student at the prestigious Kingsmen University. When her laptop starts slowing down, she's forced to take it to the IT Desk in the library to get it fixed. She was expecting some nerdy, awkward student to wait on her but instead she was greeted by a middle-aged, part-time staff member named Emrys Murdock, better known as Merlin.


"God, why are you moving so slow?" Roxy groaned as she slumped over her desk. She drummed her fingers on the mouse pad as she waited for her browser to load the article she was trying to read for her objections and legal courtroom tactics essay that she was writing. The browser showed the spinning wheel and she sighed as she pursed her lips.

"You're talkin' to your computer again Rox," her roommate warned as he strolled into the room, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Ugh, not now Eggsy! I'm trying to open this stupid article for my paper and its taking an eternity!" Roxy whined as she rumpled her hair.

"Is this the paper that's, like, due in 3 weeks or somethin'?"

Roxy nodded as she lifted her head when the screen began to load the top part of the article before freezing, the spinning wheel coming up again. She made a disgruntled noise as she put her head down and Eggsy rolled his eyes.

"Rox, you've got time, ya know?" Eggsy said as he patted her shoulder. "I'm sure you're 99% done and everyone else's like a page or two in. You'll be fine!"

"I know, I know but…I just don't understand why this is taking so long to load," Roxy sighed as she straightened up. "It's been acting slower than usual and I'm worried that one of the articles I opened earlier may have slowed it down."

Eggsy winced before taking a sip from his beer can. He sighed contentedly as the cold beer hit his throat and he gestured to the door. "You know, there's an IT help desk in the library that could probably figure out why your laptop's actin' up. They usually figure out the problem in under a week unless it's really serious."

Roxy whirled around at those words and reached for her flash stick. She plugged it into the laptop to save all of her work and articles onto it before ejecting it and closing her laptop, stuffing it into her messenger bag. "So," Roxy asked as she stood up and adjusted her messenger bag strap, "where can I find this help desk?"

* * *

"Seriously?" Roxy muttered as she stared at the library directory. Of all places in the library, they just had to be cliché and set-up shop in the basement floor of the library where all the reserve items were housed. She made a beeline for the stairs and descended them until she reached the basement floor. The lighting was dim, probably to preserve some of the older newspapers, court documents, and the like from harsh lighting that would age the paper faster. She turned right and saw that the IT Support Desk was on her left, parallel to the computer lab classrooms.

Roxy busied herself with pulling her laptop out of her bag as she neared the desk, trying to seem pre-occupied. She nearly jumped when she heard the low voice with a Scottish brogue say, "Get right to it, eh? Good – thank you for not stalling like some of the others." She jerked her head up as she placed her laptop onto the counter and saw that the low voice belonged to a bald man pushing his rectangular glasses up as he held out his other hand to accept the device from her. He didn't look like a student – late 30s to early 40s she guessed.

She let go of her laptop as he gripped it firmly with both hands and opened it to take a look. As she stepped closer to the desk, she noticed he had a lanyard on with a small plastic card hanging off of it:

**Kingsman University**

**IT Support**

**Emrys Murdock (PT)**

"Slow bandwidth?" Emrys asked her as he tested her Internet browser. His dark brows furrowed as he opened a page and drummed his fingers on the desk as it brought up the spinning circle.

"Uh yes," Roxy murmured as she gripped the strap of her bag. "It just started happening about a week and a half ago. I didn't think much of it until this week when it started to take about twenty minutes to half an hour to load a simple PDF."

"Hmm…you seem to be running an outdated version of this browser," Emrys noted as he checked the version information. "Do you back up your computer regularly?"

"Yes," Roxy replied. "I've got all the important files saved onto a flash stick so I can work on them while it's being repaired but, how long do you think it will take?"

Emrys closed the laptop and began filling out a form for the support request. As he scribbled the details about the problem, he replied, "I'd say 5 days max but I sense it will be a fairly easy fix. If I find any duplicate files that are contributing to the slowness, do I have your permission to delete them?"

"Yes, absolutely!" Roxy said as she watched him write. She tilted her head towards him and tried to get a closer look at his features.

"What's your name?" he asked as he continued to fill in the spaces on the form.

"Roxanne Morton," she said as she rested her hands on the counter. "Do you need my student ID number?"

"Yes, and I'll need the best method for contacting you," he replied as he finished writing the 'M' of her last name.

Roxy told him her ID number and gave both her university e-mail address and cell number. "I'm pretty good at checking them before the end of the day," she added. She bit her tongue and wished that she hadn't said that last part. _Good job Rox, way to sound overeager!_

"Okay good, 'cause I don't want to have to babysit your device should you decide to pick it up past the date service was completed," Emrys answered as he finished the form. "Many times students thought I'd let them pick it up past a day or two and instead, I just may decide to donate it to those in need." He passed her the form and a pen, prompting her to read the statement at the bottom of the form before signing.

Roxy accepted the pen from him and signed her name quickly, pushing it back across the counter. Emrys signed the area for the IT member and tore off the top copy for his records. He passed over the yellow copy for her receipt and looked her in the eyes.

"There's your copy Miss Morton," he replied as he fixed his glasses again. "I'll contact you when it's done and you have 2 days to pick it up before it gets donated. Clear?"

Roxy nodded as she put the receipt into her bag and thanked him before leaving the library.

* * *

**Sent**: 15/10/14

**To**: mortr014

**From**: murdock

Good Afternoon Miss Morton,

This is a reminder that your laptop has been serviced and it is available for pick-up from the IT Support Desk. Please bring the yellow copy of your receipt with you for pick-up.

You will have two (2) days to pick-up your device from the support desk or it will be donated to charity.

Should you have any additional questions or if the problem recurs, please do not hesitate to stop by again for assistance.

Thank You,

Emrys Murdock

Roxy dashed down the stairs to the basement and smoothed her dress before approaching the desk. She had come from her Speech and Debate class and had to dress nice for the occasion, as per Professor Hart's syllabus for Wednesday Debates. But secretly, she was happy that she looked a little nicer than she did on Thursday when she dropped off her laptop.

"Hi, may I help you?" the young man asked as he looked up from reading _Othello_. He held up a finger before turning his head and sneezing loudly into his shirt sleeve.

"Bless you," Roxy murmured, trying to hide her disappointment. She passed over the yellow receipt and the young man accepted it.

He stood up from his chair, scanning the shelves for it before locating it on the middle shelf with a crème colored piece of paper taped to the top, bearing her name.

"Laptop for Roxanne Morton?" the young man confirmed as he looked over at Roxy.

She nodded and held out both hands to accept the device. The young man turned and handed it to her, which she accepted with a "Thanks." As she put it away, she asked, "So is Emrys not working today?"

The young man creased his brows before it dawned on him. "Oh you mean Merlin?" he offered, "Tall, middle-aged, bald? Yeah he's not in today. But uh, I think he's in…" The young man wheeled his desk chair over to a schedule taped against the door to the IT Support room and scanned the times. "He comes in on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Sometimes he'll show up on a Friday, but that's usually around finals week. He's only part time with the university." The young man wheeled back over to the desk and he looked at Roxy. "Did you have a question for him that maybe I could answer?"

"Uh…no, but thank you very much," Roxy said with a smile before leaving the library.

* * *

"So it's workin' better now?" Eggsy asked as he looked over her shoulder.

"So much faster," Roxy sighed as she copied a quote to her essay before adding the citation into the footnotes at the bottom of the page. She typed her analysis after the quotes and hit 'Save' before taking a break to sip tea from her mug.

"Yeah those guys are fuckin' geniuses down there," Eggsy replied as he leaned against the wall. "You give 'em a problem, they'll figure it out in seconds. Who helped you?"

"Oh um, it was a bald gentleman named –"

"Merlin? Aww man Rox, that guy's the governor!" he said with a huge grin on his face. "Brought him my phone after Jamal jacked it up with some stupid bird game and he was able to get it runnin' like it was brand new or somethin'! Dunno know how he does it but he's got mad skills!"

"Surprised he's only part time," Roxy murmured before taking another sip from her mug.

Eggsy shrugged as he removed his snapback from his head and smoothed his hair down before replacing it.

"Was he…not very talkative when he worked on yours?" Roxy asked as she tilted her head towards him.

Eggsy frowned as he tried to remember his exchange with Merlin. "Um…ya know? I don't think he said much to me, more like he was talking out loud to himself about the problem and he only looked up like a few times to talk to me. Why ask?"

Roxy shrugged and turned back to work on her paper. "Just…wondered. No reason really."

* * *

"What do you have for me Miss Morton?" Merlin asked as she approached the desk. "Laptop running more efficiently?"

"Yes that's all right but…my phone started freezing for no reason," Roxy sighed as she slid it over. "I've turned it on and off but nothing's working. I really don't want to get a new phone, you see."

Merlin accepted the device from her and began examining it carefully. His angular jaw set as he studied the screen after pressing an app, only to have it pause and result in a spinning wheel coming up. His brows furrowed as he tried tapping the Home button, only to have nothing happen. "Hmm well that is interesting," he murmured as he turned Roxy's phone off and waited a few moments before turning it back on. He tested some other apps and functions, only get the spinning wheel or the app screen to come up white.

"You're not running a lot of applications from what I can see," he noted as he filled out a form. "Are you getting close to your storage limit on the device?"

"No sir, see I just cleared a bunch of photos and voice memos off it so it should be running faster," Roxy admitted.

Merlin hummed as he scribbled in the rest of the information and passed it over to Roxy to sign. "I suppose I'll have to contact you via e-mail for pick-up notice this time."

"Actually, I do have a work phone I could give you," Roxy spoke up, hoping she didn't sound too eager. "My work would understand if I had to take a few personal calls on it."

Merlin looked up from writing the information on the form and he shot her a curious look. She noticed that he had a really lovely pair of blue eyes under those glasses and she quickly told him the number before she got caught for ogling at him too long. He scribbled down the number with a note to call her for this repair and handed her the yellow copy.

"Hopefully I can have this one back to you in a couple of days," he replied with a nod of his head. "Have a good afternoon."

* * *

"How's it coming on those reports Roxanne?" her boss asked.

Roxy looked up from typing the report on the most recent case the firm resolved and replied that she had a page and a half left to document. Her boss checked her watch and thanked her for her work before leaving.

"Man you're on fire today," Amelia sighed as she leaned over the wall separating their cubes. "You doing anything tonight after this?"

"Uhh…" Roxy stalled as she tried to recall her schedule off the top of her head. She hit Save on her screen right as her work phone started vibrating. She picked up the phone and walked to the break room to take the call. "Hello?"

"Good Afternoon Miss Morton," a male voice tinged with a Scottish brogue replied. "This is Merlin from the Kingsman University IT Support desk calling to let you know that your smartphone has been repaired and it can be picked up tonight at the earliest."

Roxy nearly dropped the phone when she heard his voice and blushed as she got a firmer grip on it. "Oh yes, I'll stop by after my internship. Is it okay if I drop something else off while I'm there?"

She heard a low chuckle in the background and she felt her heart beat a little faster. What was with her? She was getting all flustered and excited about a tech guy like stupid, lovesick schoolgirl! But…he did have a rather soothing, if not sexy voice that was pleasant to listen to.

"I'm guessing that technology isn't your strong suit Miss Morton," Merlin replied.

"Actually…I'm just unlucky really," she said.

"Well, I can take a look at whatever you wish to bring in when you pick up the phone tonight. I'll be here until 7 PM," he replied. "Have a good rest of your afternoon."

Roxy put her work cell into her pocket and headed back to her desk to finish typing the report for the day. Amelia shot her a look and Roxy ignored it as she sat down at her desk and resumed typing.

"Was that a boyfriend or possible date that called?" Amelia asked with a tilt of her head.

Roxy shrugged as she typed the last paragraph before saving it. "No, it was just the tech guy from my university. He told me my phone's fixed so I can go get it…now." She sent the report to her boss and logged off her computer before grabbing her coat and briefcase and bidding Amelia goodbye.

* * *

"So what's the problem with these?" Merlin asked as Roxy slid a set of portable speakers across the counter.

"The jack's broken and before it broke, the sound was muffled on of the speakers. Turning the volume up wouldn't work," she said as she gripped her bag strap. Technically speaking, they were Eggsy's speakers, but he wasn't using them anymore since the jack broke so…

"Do you know what caused the jack to break?" Merlin asked as he examined the broken end.

Roxy shrugged and said she couldn't remember. Merlin hummed as he filled out another form for the speakers and passed over the form for Roxy to sign. She scribbled her signature on the line and passed it back.

"These will take a little longer to repair," Merlin sighed as he studied them. "I have a feeling we need to order more parts so it will depend on when the shipment gets here. The jack should be straightforward to fix but I'll have to unscrew the speaker covers to get a look inside to see what's compromising the sound quality."

"That's fine," Roxy replied as she accepted the yellow copy of the form. "Thank you again."

* * *

"I see another device, Miss Morton," Merlin mused as he removed his glasses to polish them.

Roxy blushed and mumbled that she was just having a string of bad luck with technology lately. "It wasn't like this before but now, I'm just running into so many problems with my gear. I must have some kind of a record for coming here so much, right?"

"Well there are other students who have come in with multiple devices at once but I think you're the first case where something happens to break right after you get something back," Merlin chuckled as he shook his head. "Anyways, what's the problem with this tablet?"

Roxy passed it over and explained that one of her roommate's friends borrowed it to use for face to face chatting, only to return it riddled with problems.

"It crashes when I try to open the calls app," Roxy explained. "It had stayed stuck on the home screen for about 5 minutes until it skips screens, stopping on the third one with no apps on it. Also, it seems to be holding a charge for less time than it should be. I received this for my birthday about a year and half ago – it shouldn't be losing its ability to hold a full charge that soon, correct?"

Merlin frowned as he fiddled with the screens and hummed when he encountered the problems she described. He replaced his glasses on his nose as he fiddled with the tablet and he murmured that this was going to take some time to figure out. He pulled out a blank form and filled it out with Roxy's information before passing the form to her. She signed it and accepted her yellow copy before picking up the speakers and putting them into her bag.

* * *

"Hey! Those my ol' speakers?" Eggsy asked as he dropped his backpack on the ground. He dashed over to his desk and beamed when he heard them blast the background beats for _Bonkers_ from his music player and he threw his arms to the sky. "That is fuckin' awesome! Wait, did you take 'em in to be fixed?"

"You can thank Merlin for figuring out the problems," Roxy said with a shrug as she worked on an assignment for English.

Eggsy grinned as he wrapped Roxy in a hug and thanked her before carrying the speakers and his music player to his room, closing the door behind him. Roxy grinned quietly to herself as she finished her English assignment. She owed it to Eggsy for those speakers being broken, Jamal for messing up her tablet, and Ryan for messing up her phone – yes they were messed up sort of on purpose, sort of accidentally but she felt stupid just going to the desk and trying to talk to Merlin. He always seemed engrossed in his work and she felt funny about trying to talk to him while he was working on something.

She sighed as her phone rang, seeing that it was Merlin, probably telling her that her tablet was fixed.

* * *

"Here you are Miss Morton," Merlin replied as he handed over her tablet. He pushed his glasses up on his nose and rested his elbows on the table as he looked up at her. "Excuse me for saying this Miss Morton, but its quite interesting how many problems you've been experiencing lately with all of the devices you've brought me."

"My roommate's friends," she said as she replaced the tablet into her bag. "Sometimes they just come over and ask to borrow stuff, which is fine, but this time…I think they need to take a crash course in Computer 101 about what will slow things down, what sites to avoid, etc."

Merlin chuckled as he shook his head. "So, nothing new for me today?"

Roxy blushed as she shook her head no. "Thank you again…well thank you for everything that's been brought in and repaired on these past few visits."

"My pleasure," Merlin replied before getting back to work on someone else's request. "Have a good evening."

* * *

"Rox, you gonna actually play a round against me?" Eggsy asked her when she got back. "Been waiting for you to make your move on Words with Friends for about a week or so."

"Yeah I suppose so," Roxy said as she put her bag down by her desk. "Just give me a few minutes, okay?"

Eggsy nodded and told her that he was gonna shower first before heading to dinner. Roxy fished her tablet out of her bag and turned it on. She swiped her finger across the screen until she reached the screen with her apps on it. She was about to select the one for Words with Friends until she noticed a memo, dated with yesterday's date, at the end of the last line of apps.

_Strange_, she thought as she tapped on it. _I didn't write memos on here, did I?_

The memo sprung up from the desktop and filled her entire screen. She looked closely to see it was a message from Merlin.

_Miss Morton,_

_Judging from the number of times you've brought your devices to me for repairs and the fact that your outfits have drastically changed each visit, I believe it's correct to guess that you are either A) Trying to give me an early heart attack or B) Enjoy seeing me at work. Either way, it would be impossible to deny that you are an attractive, intellectual lady (albeit deadly might I add) and I'm afraid I'm baffled as to why you find any interest in someone like me._  
_Should you desire, I would be more than happy to schedule some time to meet and discuss things over coffee or tea whenever it suits you._

_–Merlin (020) xxxx xxxx_


End file.
